Jio may launch 4G services by year-end

Reliance to market handsets under Lyf brand name by Diwali

The much-awaited launch of fourth-generation (4G) internet services by Reliance Jio is likely to happen "around the end of this year".

Reliance Industries (RIL), which has so far invested Rs 92,000 crore in its ambitious telecom venture, is in the process of testing its network before the commercial launch. Reliance Jio Infocomm is a subsidiary of RIL.

RIL's joint chief financial officer V Srikanth said on Friday that 10,000 people were testing its network across the country, covering a million km, every day. The company is doing this to fix glitches and focus on network optimisation.

Reliance will start selling 4G-enabled devices in the market from next month (closer to Diwali) under the brand name Lyf. Once the service is launched, it will start selling personal Wi-Fi devices, too.

E-com plans
The company is also planning to launch two e-commerce platforms - one for fashion retail and the other for digital.

At the company's annual general meeting earlier this year, chairman Mukesh Ambani had conveyed that the company would seed a million devices with friendly customers before the roll-out of the service.

The company was expected to start the beta testing in September, but that has not started as yet.

RIL's senior management conveyed that the company had filed an application with the department of telecommunication to share spectrum in the 850-MHz band with Reliance Communications in seven circles. There is a waiting period of 45 days during which DoT will give its feedback.

The company is also awaiting guidelines from the Reserve Bank of India to roll out its payments bank in partnership with State Bank of India. The company is still in the process of putting different pieces of its 'NDA strategy' - network, devices and applications. Jio Money, its digital payment services app, is also being tested.